Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 October 2025.

His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary OBE to Mr Masayoshi Matsumoto, recognising of his contribution to UK-Japan trade and investment.

His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) to Mr Masayoshi Matsumoto, in recognition of his contribution to UK-Japan trade and investment.

As Chairman and CEO of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI), Mr Matsumoto has demonstrated visionary leadership in committing to major investment in the UK in support of the government’s clean energy agenda. In establishing SEI’s green field investment to create the UK’s first High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea cable factory at the Port of Nigg in Scotland, he has sent a signal of confidence in the UK as a strategic partner for Japan in building a low-carbon future. The investment is also helping to transform the Cromarty Firth Green Freeport area into a hub for innovation and green jobs.

Under Mr Matsumoto’s leadership, SEI’s investment is helping deliver critical infrastructure for the UK’s offshore wind industry, underscoring the strong economic partnership between Japan and the UK, and highlighting the UK’s strengths as a destination for sustainable investment.

As Chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) and in his role as Commissioner General for Japan & Vice Chairman of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Mr Matsumoto has been a leading supporter of the UK’s proponent of the UK’s profile in one of Japan’s most economically dynamic regions.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Statement by Simon Thomas, UK Ambassador to the General Assembly, at the UN’s Special Political and Decolonisation Fourth Committee.

Let me start by reiterating that the United Kingdom has a modern relationship with all its Overseas Territories based on partnership; on shared values; and on the right of the people of each Territory to choose to remain British or not.

The UK Overseas Territories are self-governing, subject only to the UK retaining powers to carry out its obligations under international law.

We have a close bilateral relationship with each Territory, and the UK and Overseas Territory Governments hold a Joint Ministerial Council each year to monitor and drive forward collective priorities for action in the spirit of partnership.

We are committed to supporting the Territories on their priorities, including environmental protection, and carrying out our constitutional responsibilities, including guaranteeing security. 

Across the Territories, we provide financial and practical support to build local capacity and resilience, and have projects underway to build new infrastructure, including a new hospital, ports and much more.

I will address specific points relating to two of the UK’s Overseas Territories.

Firstly, Gibraltar. 

Last week, the Committee heard directly from the Chief Minister of Gibraltar as the elected representative of its people. 

We welcome their participation and restate that the UK’s longstanding commitment to the people of Gibraltar remains unchanged.

The UK will not enter arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.

The United Kingdom also reaffirms that it will not enter a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

In December 2020, the UK, with Gibraltar, agreed a Political Framework with Spain for how a future agreement between the UK and the EU in respect of Gibraltar would function in the interests of all parties. 

UK-EU negotiations began in October 2021. The UK, working side-by-side with the Government of Gibraltar, reached a political agreement with the EU on the core aspects of a Treaty in June 2025. 

All parties are committed to finalising the text of the UK-EU Treaty in respect to Gibraltar as soon as possible.

The second specific issue I wish to address is the Falkland Islands.

The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over both the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and their surrounding maritime areas.

Nor do we have any doubt about the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. 

This is enshrined in the UN Charter and in Article One of both UN covenants on human rights, by virtue of which they are free to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

In the 2013 referendum, which was conducted in line with international standards and was observed by independent, international observers, 99.8 per cent of those who voted wanted to remain their current status as a British Overseas Territory.

This result sent a clear message of self-determination, and that the people of the Islands do not want dialogue on sovereignty. 

These wishes, expressed freely, should be respected.

The people of the Falkland Islands are an established and diverse community, with families being able to trace their South Atlantic ancestry back ten generations, and with over 60 different nationalities represented across the population. 

The Falkland Islanders are proud of their autonomy and the prosperous modern democracy they have built, in which they have been able to offer universal health care and education and have shown how small island states can be prosperous with green sustainable growth.

The UK continues to look towards a stronger, more productive relationship with Argentina on matters of mutual interest, including practical cooperation in the South Atlantic.

Chair, in conclusion, the United Kingdom remains committed to respecting and defending the right of the people of each Territory to determine their own future, in line with the UN Charter.

And let me also reassure you that the United Kingdom will continue to carry out our responsibilities as part of our modern partnership with each of the territories.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Ambassador Holland welcomes the work of the OSCE Mission over the last six months, and the positive assessment of municipal elections on 12 October – while underlining concerns over security and political developments.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Firstly, I would like to welcome Ambassador McGurk – dear Gerard – back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for the comprehensive written report on the recent work of the Mission, and for your informative presentation this morning.

The United Kingdom welcomes last weekend’s municipal elections in Kosovo, and the positive assessment by international observers. The return of Kosovo-Serb mayors to the northern municipalities is a vital first-step in ensuring representative local governance. We encourage all parties to ensure that the transitions of the newly elected mayors are made with full respect to Kosovo’s rule of law and ensure a calm and safe environment for all communities.

The UK particularly welcomes the convening of the new Kosovo Assembly and sees this as an important step towards the formation of a new government.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom shares the concerns highlighted in the Mission report around security and political developments which have impacted on intercommunity relations in Kosovo, including the closures of institutions and facilities which provide vital services to Kosovo-Serbs and other non-majority communities. We echo the comments in the Report that sustainable peace and legitimacy flow from institutions that deliver fairly and equitably for all people of Kosovo. The UK will continue to encourage the Government of Kosovo to uphold Kosovo’s constitutional obligations as a multi-ethnic society, to engage with the international community and consult constructively with the Kosovo-Serb community ahead of any actions that impact their community.

We urge both Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to deliver on their respective obligations, including the establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities. Failure by either side to meet existing commitments has negative implications for the daily lives of ordinary citizens and for wider stability in the Western Balkans.

The UK also underlines the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for the 2023 attacks on KFOR troops and in Banjska, and calls on Serbia to fully cooperate in bringing those responsible to account, and to fulfil its pledge to cooperate in the investigation of the attack on the Ibar-Lepenc Canal. 

The UK particularly appreciates the unique role of the Mission in monitoring and early warning functions, through its extensive network of regional centres. We continue to value the Mission’s support on human rights and inter-community relations, including on interfaith dialogue and assistance to non-majority communities on language rights and the preservation of cultural heritage. We also appreciate the Mission’s ongoing support to the UK and Swiss funded diploma verification process.

We welcome the continued focus on gender equality, including work of the Dialogue Academy and support to implementation of the 2024 Action Plan. We share the Mission’s concerns around the lack of women’s participation in elections, and welcome the work of the EmPOWER programme to increase numbers of women candidates.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom is a longstanding and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent, sovereign and multiethnic state. The UK will continue to support stability, security and economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, including through our hosting of the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit in London on 22 October and the work of our Special Envoy, Dame Karen Pierce.

Finally, I wanted to again thank you, Gerard, for your leadership of the Mission at this critical time. We sincerely appreciate the hard work of your team under challenging circumstances, and will continue to make the case in this Council for field operations to receive the funding necessary to effectively deliver the mandates tasked to them by participating States.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, highlighting the severe impact on the civilian population. The UK calls on Russia to respect international law.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Russia has once again weaponised winter, launching a series of coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure in recent weeks. These strikes have severely disrupted gas production and hit critical storage facilities in western Ukraine.  Strikes on thermal power stations on 10th October left half of Kyiv without power and many without access to water.

The UK strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, particularly its domestic gas production capacity. Restoring this capacity is both challenging and expensive, often taking many months to repair and increasing the need for gas imports over winter.  As the country enters winter and heating demand rises, such attacks have an even greater impact.

These attacks are morally indefensible, and the UK is not alone in having this assessment. The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine reported that Russia’s systematic targeting of energy infrastructure may amount to war crimes and, in some cases, crimes against humanity. The Commission concluded that such strikes, particularly during winter, show a “disregard for civilian harm and suffering” and violate international humanitarian law. Similarly, reporting by ODIHR has stated that Russia’s large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities reflect a general disregard for the laws of war and may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Russia argues that these sites are legitimate military targets, justifying their actions by stating they are weakening facilities that assist Ukraine’s military industrial complex. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine found that Russia’s attacks on these sites likely violated the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to protect civilians and civilian objects.

So far this year Russia has launched around 40,000 drones—a fourfold increase from 2024. In September alone, at least 214 civilians were killed and nearly 1,000 injured, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. And just this month, Russia carried out its largest coordinated assault of the war on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, deploying 35 missiles and 60 drones in a single offensive, which resulted in the tragic death of a child. Each round of peace talks has coincided with further escalations in Russian attacks.

Mr Chair, the UK stands resolutely with Ukraine.  We urge continued support for Ukraine’s air defences and energy resilience.  And we call on Russia to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and the OSCE Decalogue. Russia must not deliberately target civilian infrastructure that provides essential needs for Ukraine’s population; and must withdraw from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

Thank you.